The holidays are upon us, which means it's time to buy gifts for family, friends and coworkers. If you're looking to be an environmental hero, you can not only scrap the wrapping paper and extraneous bows, but also purchase a green gift for the eco-conscious guys and gals in your life.

There are plenty of eco-friendly and sustainable tools for the digital lifestyle. We offer 16 suggestions below.

16 Sustainable Gifts for the Eco-Minded Techie

The latest trend in fashion? E-waste. Instead of tossing computers into landfills, Etsy vendors (and others) have rebirthed the PC's innards as geek chic accessories. From collars and charms to rings and bracelets, there's no shortage of circuit board gems.

Bring the boombox back! Terracycle's boomboxes are made with up to 80% recycled materials, like the wrappers of your favorite snacks and candy -- Cheetos, Skittles, Starburst and Peanut M&Ms are all available. The boombox has a 3.5mm universal plug so you can jam to your iPod, iPhone or laptop, and no batteries are required. If you're in the market for speakers only, those are available for $13.99.

The Recompute computer is a desktop computer that uses sustainable practices to create, use and dispose of the device. It's made of corrugated cardboard and has a 500 GB hard drive and 4GB RAM, with 8 USB ports and a standard U.S. power cable. The computer runs on Microsoft and uses Firebox to browse the web. It's a pricey gift, and it may best serve as a gift to yourself. C'mon, you deserve it.

The EarthDrive is the world first recyclable USB drive -- it's designed with recycled materials, and 50 cents from each EarthDrive sold goes toward planting trees in conjunction with American Forests. The flash drives are also durable and are shockproof, waterproof and dustproof.

Keep time and keep green. Fill this clock up with tap water, and it'll have the energy to show time on its digital display for 8 to 12 weeks before you need to refill. It's a great gift for home and office and it's only 4" wide.

Looking for a way to protect your precious iPad 2? Why not use a cushy cork cover? The cover sits on the back of the iPad, so you can still use a smart cover, and you can use the Kork in "tray mode" if you have your iPad leaning on the folded smart cover, or in "shade mode" if you're reading alfresco. See it in action here.

Mashable readers tend to have a lot of gadgets -- smartphones, tablets, laptops, iPods -- and we need a place to charge them. Well, there's no need to suck energy from the walls, because you can get it from nature for free. One hour in the sun nets you three hours of talk time; the battery can hold juice for 19 hours of talk time or 48 hours of tunes. The backpack weighs just 1.3 pounds and the shell is made from recycled soda bottles.

It's hard for a power strip to be sexy, but this one gets pretty close. It has 10 outlets and provides 3,600 Joules, and there's also room for a phone line, Ethernet and F-Pin connections. Plus, it's recommended by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Consider this your digital Swiss Army Knife. The solar-powered gadget has a barometer, altimeter, compass, AM/FM/WB radio, a digital clock with an alarm, weather alerts, a chronograph and a bottle opener. Battery life and solar charge are indicated on a digital display.

The 72-inch solar panel on this speaker will charge your iPod or iPhone while pumping bass-heavy audio through its eight speaker drivers. The dock comes with a remote, so you can control it from afar, and there's a tinted iPod chamber that lets you see your iPhone or iPod's display while protecting it from spills -- a great feature for holiday parties and get-togethers.

It's not always convenient to save a to-do list on your smartphone, but it's also not environmentally sound to jot notes on paper. Here's the happy medium: a bamboo dry-erase board that lets you stay on top of your tasks.

If you're looking for something with a bit more functionality than the Kork 2, there's the Econut, a fold-out case for the iPad that includes a keyboard. The case is made from a coconut tree, so it's biodegradable, environmentally safe and tres exotic. It hasn't officially been released to market but we're hoping it'll be out by the time Christmas rolls around.

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